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Friday, 1 August 2014

Review: Reckoning (Silver Blackthorn #1) by Kerry Wilkinson

Goodreads Synopsis:

One girl. One chance. One destiny.

In the village of Martindale, hundreds of miles
north of the new English capital of Windsor, sixteen-year-old Silver
Blackthorne takes the Reckoning. This coming-of- age test not only decides her
place in society – Elite, Member, Inter or Trog – but also determines that
Silver is to become an Offering for King Victor.But these are uncertain times
and no one really knows what happens to the teenagers who disappear into
Windsor Castle. Is being an Offering the privilege everyone assumes it to be,
or do the walls of the castle have something to hide? Trapped in a maze of
ancient corridors, Silver finds herself in a warped world of suspicion where it
is difficult to know who to trust and who to fear. The one thing Silver does
know is that she must find a way out . . .

The heart-stopping first book in a new
trilogy by UK author Kerry Wilkinson, Reckoningis
the story of one girl's determination to escape the whims of a cruel king, and
what she must do to survive against all odds.

Review:

***I received the paperback free as a review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review***

Dystopian novels are so easy to get wrong that even if the
synopsis looks promising, I always start the book feeling anxious because you
go into a book wanting to like it. Starting Reckoning was just the
same.

The plot was incredibly unique, and even though it reminded
me slightly of The Hunger Games near the start (an obvious comparison if you just
look at the dystopia side of it) with people being “offered” after the
reckoning and removed from their families. Just like The Hunger Games it’s seen
as a huge privilege to be an Offering for the King. Even when they only hear
rumours about what really happens to them. Even when they know they’ll never
see their loved ones again; there isn’t nearly as much weight to the moment as
there would be in our society.

I can’t say much more about what happens to the Offerings
because it will give too much of the plot away, but seeing as the synopsis mentions
how Silver is trying to escape you can make your own presumptions. I will
however say that the storyline is rather simple; it’s the case of survival
against not just a corrupt government but corrupt people. The result is a world
built on lies where no one lives long enough to tell the truth.

The Offerings are the exceptions. Their situation is
treacherous, and one false move could be their last. It wasn’t hard to form
emotional connections to them, and I think their situation makes it easier. You
want them to battle through, and witnessing their emotional turmoil was draining
as a reader. However it didn’t get boring. There was a lot of characters
building (as there should be) but the haunting way it was written made sure you
were just as engaged as when something
big was happening (I really wanted to say something else there, but I’ve
got to remember no spoilers!)

Silver Blackthorn was easy to connect and relate to because
while she doesn’t see herself as extraordinary, her bravery crossed with caring
nature is a force to be reckoned with; and boy do they try! She manages to find
security with Imrin, another Offering who I’ll admit took me a while to warm up
to. Circumstances made me suspicious, but I think that’s almost why it worked
between them: they were both desperate. It was a slow romance and wasn’t filled
with a fiery passion that had no place in the book.

I’m incredibly excited for the sequel because even after the
rocky start I really enjoyed the book. I think it was the cliff-hanger ending that
won me over, where just about everything went up in smoke.

Favourite Quotes:

“It is a reckoning in every sense of the word.”

“I step into the corridor and, as he heads away from me, I
wonder if that is to be my fate: a broken person living without hope.”

“Saying you want to escape is the easy part; actually
figuring out how to do it is not quite so simple.”

“I am doing enough to survive but it isn’t the same as
living.”

“If you want people to trust you, you have to earn it,” I
say, repeating word for word something I remember my mother telling me years
ago.”

Disclaimer

I can guarantee that all of my reviews are honest, which includes the reviews I have written based on review copies I have received which are clearly specified. The fact that they are review copies has no impact on my thoughts and opinions stated in the review. I do not receive any form of monetary compensation for my reviews from authors/publishers.